Shemalis — Restaurant in Washington

This is a local favorite for all in the Foxhall Place staff/AU/Wesley Heights and Cathedral Ave NW area! It became one of my new favorites after moving to remote working! Its the perfect Lebanese flavors of foods but with so much more available in a small space. The food, the flavors and the staff - everything is top notch. The menu is broad and everything I've tried has been delicious. You can get hot foods, deli foods, frozen foods, fridge foods and a wide range of European desserts and cookies. If you're from across the pond, they are bound to have some of your favorites from Ireland, UK, France, and Europe!

Some of my highest recommendations are based on items I have got regularly and are consistently delicious and high quality. Portions are very generous and you will NOT be hungry the rest of the day. I never even need a dinner after eating lunch here, its that good. Fantastic value for money for the portions and all delivered with a smile. For those visiting or attending Foxhall Medical Center, this is your go to for stable, good quality food that appeals to all flavors and taste buds.

I highly recommend the following tried and tested. The falafel wrap (OMG get it "as recommended" its delicious, comes with the freshest of produce and the tahini sauce is divine. All served so neatly in a tight wrap but so full and generous in portion. You can even order a solid portion of fries to make a big meal out of it but on its own, you're still going to be full! The add-on prices are so competitive compared to other places!

Also highly recommend the Vegetarian platter which includes 2 falafels, spinach pie, 2 veggie grape leaves, hummus and taboule salad with tahini sauce, pickled turnips and pita bread on the side - scrumptious!!!

I did try the Hummus platter, Hummus wrap, burger, Gryo wrap and Kafta wrap on different occasions and every time they have been simply delicious and so tasteful and filling. Seriously I have not had one thing here I didn't like. You can order individual items from the deli on a cute little tray and you can order fries, burgers, meals (added lately and look and smell divine so on my list to try). You can top up your items and/or meal with sides of fries, pita, meat, rice or even dessert rice with cinnamon (my personal favorite!!)

The staff are incredibly cheerful, happy and professional and so helpful giving advice to people who are new and/or not sure what they want. They help you find things in the store and are very accommodating to questions. I've watched them help elderly people and take their food to the tables to help them settle into their meals. They also have soft drinks, water and other varieties of drinks familiar to Lebanese and Europeans alike. Such a global deli!!!

I love supporting local and small businesses. If you are in our area look them up, they are worth it and great value for money!

Note - Street parking, parking at Foxhall Square Medical Center or next door at Chef Geoff's (paid parking) and there are tables outside Shemali's if you wish to eat on site. This location on New Mexico Ave is Wheelchair and walker friendly!

There is also a Starbucks up around the corner of the mall, an on location Walgreens (great staff here too!) and Wagshal's is next door if you...

New to the area and wanted to try restaurants close by AU dorms. Found this place and saw they have kabobs, which is one of my favorite foods. Went there after work and ordered the beef kabob platter. I advise you to call ahead because I waited 30 minutes to get my food. I was told 15, but it ended up being 30. Now, being from NJ, I'm used to kabobs being on a stick. So when I got to my room and opened the container, I was confused about what I had received. It was just a few pieces of meat in the middle of French fries. There was 8 pieces of thick cubes of beef. So I figured that's the equivalent of 2 kabobs. I got the garlic whip and tzatzaki sauce. The food was delicious. The meat was cooked more than the medium rare I asked for but it wasn't dry or tough. It was perfect. The garlic whip was amazing. I've never heard of it before but man was it good. The tzatzaki was a little runny so I didn't really use it. Fries were good as well. Overall for the long wait it was worth it. Definitely will...

I learned about the cafe from the store. After I ordered, I decided to check out the reviews. I seen mixed reviews, but remained with an open mind and unbiased palate. I ordered mixed kebabs with a side of Greek salad.

I was first impressed with the cleanliness. The next was them asking me if I wanted another portion of the salad since I only selected one side, and the entree comes with two. The third was the repeat customer that came in and just mentioned “you know what I want” and no further dialogue was needed pertaining to her order.

Now the quality. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal! Tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken and lamb. The Greek salad was so fresh and delicious, I did not need the dressing. I never had pickled turnips but now, I am a fan! The portion was really filling and more than enough. I have concluded: when I am in the area, though not often, I will make it my business to stop by here!

Well done,...